Georgetown University has installed additional card readers in some of its campus residence halls. The new readers join the existing reader hardware in place at building entrances.

Per The Georgetown Voice, the university’s police department played a central role in the the installation, which set up new card readers at lobby-level elevators and stairwell doors. The rollout of the new readers has occurred in stages, with some of the new readers already active and operational.

Procedurally, access to dorm rooms with the new readers in place will require residents to swipe their GOCards into the building, swipe in with the security guard on duty, and swipe once more to either gain access to the stairwell or press the elevator call button.

Georgetown residence halls employ either students or security officers to monitor entry points on the lobby level at all times. Despite the new card readers, the current hours and guard setup will not change.

University officials say that the decision to implement the new policy change reflects a larger effort to identify security gaps across campus. University police identified a security gap in related to the ease of residence hall access.

The idea behind the new reader hardware is that once an individual accesses the lobby, the only security measure keeping them from accessing dorm rooms is a static guard post. The new card readers intend to provide an added layer of security to the existing process.